Enterprise Applications: Office for Mac Catches Up

Office 2011 for Mac is a vast improvement over previous version of the Microsoft productivity suite, thanks to the decisions to return Visual Basic for Applications functionality and to include the Outlook e-mail, calendar and contact manager for the first time in almost a decade. The implementation of the ribbon interface in Office 2011 complements the Mac menu interface, rather than being the flawed replacement found in Office for Windows. Sharing takes a front-row seat as well in this release, and users have the option to save to the Microsoft SkyDrive service or to SharePoint servers. Office Web Apps are now available to users, and as a bonus, a Web version of OneNote is also included in the package. Media browsing is vastly improved, with unified views that include iMovie projects, iPhoto libraries and iTunes playlists. Presence information is available, as are IM and voice and video chats, when Office 2011 is used with Exchange and other Microsoft server applications. Read more about Office 2011 for Mac here.

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Office for Mac Catches Up

P. J. Connolly began writing for IT publications in 1997 and has a lengthy track record in both news and reviews. Since then, he's built two test labs from scratch and earned a reputation as the nicest skeptic you'll ever meet. Before taking up journalism, P. J. was an IT manager and consultant in San Francisco with a knack for networking the Apple Macintosh, and his love for technology is exceeded only by his contempt for the flavor of the month. Speaking of which, you can follow P. J. on Twitter at pjc415, or drop him an email at pjc@eweek.com.